Fighting Words
by Firebird
Summary: Ed and Alfons' date gets an unpleasant interruption and they have a discussion about it afterwards.


Title: Fighting Words  
Author: Firebird  
Pairing: Ed/Alfons  
Word Count: 1142  
Warning/Notes/Disclaimer: Characters are not mine and I am not making any money off this. However, they _do_ belong to Hiromu Arakawa/Square ENIX, MBS, ANX, BONES, FUNimation Productions, Ltd. Erm, pretend that a certain part of this is in German. XD; Yuuo put up with me flailing at her a bit about this fic and me spamming it to her in IRC. XD;

Alfons alternated between looking at the river to watch the movement of the water and the sky to watch the stars coming out. Coming here had been Ed's idea. When he asked why, he'd only gotten the muttered explanation that Ed's brother would often sit by rivers.

Not that he minded being here all that much. Still. It was getting dark, they hadn't had supper, he was getting cold, and his butt was numb from being on the bench too long. He nudged at Ed, whom had fallen asleep with his cheek pillowed on Alfons' shoulder. "Hey Ed, we should get going."

"Mm-kay," Ed said, yawning.

"Well, isn't this sweet. A couple of pretty boys out on a date. And here I was, thinking one of you was a girl, what with his long hair," drawled out a voice from behind them.

The hairs on the back of Alfons' neck rose as his body instinctively stiffened and he felt Ed go tense beside him. Alfons rose and turned around slowly, spreading his hands and hoping Ed would behave. "We were just leaving. No need for there to be trouble." Ed rose with him, looking considerably less conciliatory.

The leader of a group that consisted of four others, snorted. "You brought trouble with you just by being what you are, you freak." Alfons flinched and Thug Boy turned his attention to Ed.

"Well, considering your pretty face and long hair, I can guess which of you is the girl in this relationship," he mocked. "So do you just wrap your lips around his cock or do you enjoy spreading your legs for him too? And if you spread your legs, do you do that for others as well? And give a group discount like the cheap whore you--"

Ed snapped and was past Alfons in a flash with his lips peeled back in a snarl. His fist hit Thug Boy's nose with a CRACK, producing a howl of pain and the man raising his hands to his nose to stop the stream of blood. Alfons thought it was probably broken. Ed followed up with a vicious side-kick to one of the others that had _that_ individual down on the ground curled up around himself and probably wondering if he was going to be able to have children after this. Although Alfons had the feeling he was too busy throwing up from pain to be concerned about the whole 'having children' thing at the moment. Then Ed moved on to the next one, kicking _him_ in the knee, making it go sideways.

The fight was over within minutes. Ed went over to a shaken Alfons, who just watched in frozen shock aside from a few random observations. "Come on. Let's get out of here before the police show up." Alfons just nodded silently and managed to wait until they got to the apartment before he got the shakes.

"Were you out of your _mind_? What if they had guns?" he asked, shivering under the blanket Ed draped over his shoulders before seating himself by Alfons on the sofa.

"Then I would have expected you to get the hell _down_ so I wouldn't have had to worry about you as much while I fought. You seem to be forgetting that I'm used to fighting."

Alfons just shook his head, still trying to take in what had happened. "Hearing what little you share is one thing. _Seeing_ it is... is completely different!"

Ed frowned absently at his hand as he opened and closed his fist. Alfons assumed he was checking to make sure he didn't damage any connections or something on the lead guy's nose. "I also tend to downplay the danger and make it sound like more fun than it actually is. And I fought a bit nastier then I usually do." He shrugged. "What can I say. They really pissed me off."

"Seeing that side of you was... kind of scary. I'm not sure I like it," Alfons admitted in a small voice.

Ed flinched. "I didn't mean to scare you," he said quietly, looking at his hands. "But I _won't_ say that I regret what I did. Those bastards deserved it." His eyes flashed as he concluded that last bit.

"And I only waited to attack them as long as I did because it was _me_ they were harrassing. If it had been you, I'd have gone after them sooner." His voice was hard. "Anyway. We should eat something."

"I don't... really have an appetite anymore." Alfons switched from sitting on the couch properly to curling up.

"I'm still feeding you something. It'll probably help you feel better." Ed dragged Alfons off the couch and into the kitchen to help him cook whatever food he found in the icebox.

After a short time--during which were such statements and exchanges like "Why is it that whenever _I_ find the cheese, it's moldy, but when you find it, it's perfectly fine?" and "You're letting the food burn, Edward." "Wha--? Dammit!"--they were seated at the table with slightly blackened but still edible food. Ed ate at a fairly steady pace while Alfons just picked at his.

Ed garbled something out around a mouthful of food, saw Alfons try to puzzle out what was said, swallowed, and tried again. "How often can we expect that sort of thing?" he asked waving his fork at the window.

Alfons gave a small shrug as he let his fork chase a bit of food around his plate. "Depends on how often we're stupid enough to do something that's rather obviously a couple-type thing out in public."

Ed scowled at his food and stabbed a random piece of meat. "Well, that sucks. I'd really prefer to not have to beat people up all the time. I don't _think_ that kind of crap would happen much at home. Some of the more rural areas, probably, but not in or around the _cities_." He shoved the speared bit of food into his mouth and chewed angrily.

"Have you ever really paid enough attention to notice?"

"Not really. Too wrapped up in my own stuff. S'why I said I didn't _think_ it would happen much, instead of saying for certain. And eat your damn food instead of picking it to death. It doesn't taste _that_ bad." Alfons gave up on getting away with not eating and ate. No point in making Edward even more cranky, after all. Even if his current crankiness wasn't directed at him but the world in general.

A short time later, after they had climbed into their respective sides of the bed and settled in for the night, Alfons ventured "I certainly wouldn't object to doing something like earlier tonight again." Added, in a certain wry tone, "Minus the later unpleasantness, of course."

Ed yawned. "Good. Because I'm planning on going again. Even if I have to kick some ass. Again."


End file.
